This book examines the military experiences of peers and gentlemen from the British Isles who volunteered to fight in the religious and dynastic wars of mainland Europe, as well as the ordinary men who were impressed to serve in the ranks, from the time of the English intervention in the Dutch war of independence to the death of the soldier-king William III in 1702. The apprenticeship in arms exposed these men to the technological innovations of the military revolution, laid the foundations for a professional officer class based upon merit, established a fund of military expertise, and helped ... More

This book examines the military experiences of peers and gentlemen from the British Isles who volunteered to fight in the religious and dynastic wars of mainland Europe, as well as the ordinary men who were impressed to serve in the ranks, from the time of the English intervention in the Dutch war of independence to the death of the soldier-king William III in 1702. The apprenticeship in arms exposed these men to the technological innovations of the military revolution, laid the foundations for a professional officer class based upon merit, established a fund of military expertise, and helped to shape a British identity. The remilitarization of aristocratic culture and society was completed by 1640, and provided numerous experienced military officers for the various armies of the British and Irish civil wars and, subsequently, for the embryonic British army after William III invaded and conquered the British Isles and committed the Three Kingdoms to the armed struggles against Louis XIV during the Nine Years War. Conflicts between amateur aristocrats and so-called ‘soldiers of fortune’ led to continuing debates about the relative merits of standing armies and a select militia. The individual pursuit of honour and glory by such amateurs also obscured the more rational military and political objectives of the modern state, subverted military discipline, and delayed the process of professionalization of the officer corps of the British army.